Ifeanyi Ndukwe has experienced one of the most special weeks since his arrival at Levante UD. The defender returned last Thursday from his training camp with the Austrian national team, with which he played the qualifying matches for the Under-21 European Championship, and yesterday he made his debut as a starter with the Levante team, also opening his scoring account as a granota.

The center-back expresses being “happy” to start earning the coach's trust and, especially, for having scored his first goal wearing the Levante UD jersey. “It means a lot to me because I didn’t think I would score in my debut as a starter. It’s great that it happened. It helped me make up for the mistake in the first half. At that moment, I was very happy to score,” he acknowledges.

Ndukwe will never forget this first goal as a Levante player and is clear about who he wants to dedicate it to: “To my family and friends, because they have always supported me in every way. They watched the game on television, although, unfortunately, they couldn’t come.”

The defender also values the competitive spirit of the team and its ability to fight until the end. “The team fights until the last moment, and that’s what makes me proud,” he highlights.

Regarding his adaptation to the club and the city, the player says he feels very comfortable since his arrival. “The city is beautiful, and the club has welcomed me very well. Everything is very welcoming, and I feel good here,” he states. The language could pose a challenge when understanding the coaching staff’s instructions, but Ndukwe has found a way to overcome that barrier. “I went to Spanish classes to understand a bit of what the coach says, but if I don’t understand something, Toljan is always there to explain it to me because he speaks German. Some things are also explained to me by the staff in English,” he reveals.

Finally, the Austrian center-back describes the Levante UD locker room as “a family,” a testament to the warm welcome he has found in the team.